Paul and I drove over on Boxing Day and got a shot ski tour in on Hummingbird Ridge before the others arrived. The snow was cold and light, but resting on top of not a lot... making skiing a little treacherous. We ran into some locals out there and got to share the trail breaking.
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Once the whole gang were together we skied a day at the Whitewater ski area just outside town, then yesterday headed up onto Kootenay Pass and toured into the Ripple Ridge cabin. It was a great little place and gave us a spot to practice beacon searches and make cups of tea. We hiked up onto the ridge and skied back down through the forest. Breaking trail through the deep and increasingly heavy snow was tough going, but it's rewarding to look back and see everyone skiing up the foot deep trench you plowed up the hill. We finished of the night with a game of "Poopy Cat"... a Japanese game which seems to have an unfortunate translation in English. You have to draw pictures, pass them on and then the next person writes what they think is going on... then the next person sees that description and draws another picture, and so on. "A fox in the popcorn breaks hearts". Apparently.
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Today we had a slow start and plentiful faff then got ourselves to the non-massive town of Salmo to ski on their tiny ski hill. I love these places, really cheap, really friendly, great snow... and loads of fun. Paul had his camera out and caught me off the ground.
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The snow is still falling and 2009 is only a day way. Have a great time, whatever you do, and wherever you're doing it!
New Year's eve update... Paul and I had a bit of an epic day of sking, which he's put great photos of here.
